Still dont know which to use

[mjmbme]

Ok, I am ready to strip off the Super Diamond Clear that I was sold and is absolutely not a good sealer for a working automotive garage. I have been checking the thread from time to time but I still dont have a clear idea which product to buy.

Any recommendations?

 

[thundercow]

A product for stripping or for recoating?

Ok, I am ready to strip off the Super Diamond Clear that I was sold and is absolutely not a good sealer for a working automotive garage. I have been checking the thread from time to time but I still dont have a clear idea which product to buy.

Any recommendations?

 

[WolverineCoatings]

Super Diamond Clear is a very CHEAP acrylic. Acrylics like this are very weak an are designed for the low budget... not performance.

So, some questions would need to be answered before anyone could answer this:

1. What do you expect for how much $$$?
2. How many square feet of space do you have to coat?
3. What is your budget?
4. What is your level of experience as a DIYer or will this be done professionally?
5. What do you do in this space?
6. What are you hoping for?

 

[kvom]

I'm in sort of the same boat. My garage will be a working shop, and I don't need anything fancy or too expensive. My needs are:

1) DIY install
2) resists spills of oil and other automotive fluids
3) moderate resistance to dropped tools or parts
4) I will be doing some welding and plasma cutting
5) prefer a light color

 

[hangfirew8]

I'm in sort of the same boat. My garage will be a working shop, and I don't need anything fancy or too expensive. My needs are:

1) DIY install
2) resists spills of oil and other automotive fluids
3) moderate resistance to dropped tools or parts
4) I will be doing some welding and plasma cutting
5) prefer a light color

I don't know its reputation here, but after some problems, I went with U-Coat-it, and am very happy.

The "problems" involved putting down Seal-Krete single part epoxy, following the instructions to the letter. The Internet instructions, that is, the ones that (at the time, anyway) left out the part about the first coating needed some extra water.

After sanding the whole thing off with 26 sheets of 18" 20 grit on a floor sander, I put down U-Coat-It, based on the recommendation of a coworker who used it and was happy for 5 years. Again, I followed the directions to the letter, and added the grit instead of flakes. The grit is included.

I've had it for a full year now, and am very happy. I've skidded to a stop a few times with a good-size pickup truck, parked tires with every combination of hot, cold, salty, and wet, and not one flake has come off. I use an old huge 3-ton roller jack, drag heavy equipment across the floor, dribble paint on it... it still looks new. I have a working garage, not a show garage.

Yes, I acid etched, both times as a matter of fact. That works for you as long as you make sure you don't leave a powdery finish behind. I also used a pressure washer. Same deal. It's not just what you do, it's how you do it.

-HF

 

[WolverineCoatings]

I'm in sort of the same boat. My garage will be a working shop, and I don't need anything fancy or too expensive. My needs are:

1) DIY install
2) resists spills of oil and other automotive fluids
3) moderate resistance to dropped tools or parts
4) I will be doing some welding and plasma cutting
5) prefer a light color

This is a good start for your needs... but... I'm going to bet that you have a few more... like:

1. What do you expect for how much $$$?
3. What is your budget?

Everyone has a different idea of 'nothing too expensive'... Then, it can be a bit confusing to figure out what you get for the money. Sometimes, the 'cheap' product ends up being more expensive and you get much lower quality. For instance, you can purchase a waterbased product alot cheaper than 100% solids... but... 1/2 of it evaporates... So, a 100% solids product at double the cost per gallon would end up costing the same amount for the same dry thickness on your floor. And, at the end of the day, isn't that what matters?

So, as you are getting pricing you need to consider the cost of what you are ending up with. A floor with 5 mils of paint is going to be less expensive than a floor with 10 mils... The thicker the floor the more protection it will give you and the longer it will last. A thicker floor (depending on the exact coating) will be more shock absorbant. More importantly, floors fail when they are damaged through to the substrate. So, a thinner coating is more likely to take damage that leads to failure. When a floor is damaged to the substrate it makes a path for dirt, oils, chemicals, water, bacteria, etc.... to get under the coating and attack it from both sides. It's like anything else, the more attack you get the more likely you are to fail.